Great Boss Dead Boss (Paperback)

by Ray Immelman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Motivating entire organizations to embrace large-scale change is the biggest challenge most managers face. Ray Immelman’s insightful book offers a new perspective on why groups resist change and how to leverage the very same trait to get change implemented.

Learn how to develop a strategy to gain buy-in and commitment to new behaviors on a large scale.

One of the richest businessmen in America described it as "Very to the point."

About the Author
Ray Immelman is a certified management consultant. He shares new insights in organizational behavior from his personal involvement in close to two hundred companies worldwide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Stewart Philip International (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974036919
• ISBN-13: 978-0974036915
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #170,155 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only read one management book this year, ..., February 14, 2005

By	David J. Anderson "author of 'Agile Managemen... (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you only read one book this year, it has to be this one! I saw Ray Immelman speak at the TOC ICO Word Conference in Miami last October. His work came highly recommend from a mutual friend. So I thought there had to be something in it worth learning.

What I didn't expect was that this book would change the way I thought about organization and communication down, across and up. If management is about two things then organizational structure and communication are perhaps the two most basic. Great Boss, Dead Boss has made me rethink both of those. I'm deliberately not telling you what the book is about because that would spoil it for you. What I can say is that it takes the form of a novel similar to Eli Goldratt's The Goal. However, despite the fact that Ray Immelman is part of the TOC community and works for Realization Software. This is not a TOC book. It's a book about people, about relationships, about affiliation, motivation, loyalty and leadership. It's a book which is very applicable to the agile software community. If agile's unique contribution to software development was the inclusion of people related factors then Great Boss, Dead Boss offers us that same contribution for management.

And finally, if you are going through a merger or acquisition then this story of the merger of two leading silicon chip manufacturers is required reading.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a fascinating read , September 13, 2004

By	BookReview.com (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

In the wake of current corporate atrocities, We The People are left to wonder, "What is really going on behind corporate office doors?" Why is it that the average individual can see how detrimental it is for incoming management to slash, burn, and gut companies that they enter; replacing cronies in key positions? Why does management get raises when productivity is down?
Great Boss Dead Boss, is a revolutionary novel that carefully walks readers through a new business model, one that encourages growth at all levels. A model that ultimately increases productivity, trust, and most importantly results in two key elements often left out in big- business that often make or break companies-- job satisfaction and job security.
I expected great pain and agony when asked to read Great Boss Dead Boss. Under normal circumstances, if asked to endure anything related to business or economics, I will elect instead to treat myself to bamboo under the fingernails or another form of horrendous torture. I can't begin to explain what a pleasant surprise it was when the story line immediately drew me in and held me riveted to its pages. Immelman is a creative genius who allows readers from all walks of life to watch a process based on values, morals and human behavior unfold and replace a compassionless, dog-eat dog, inefficient system comprised of trumped up numbers and even bigger egos.
Great Boss Dead Boss, is both a fascinating read and one essential for anyone hoping to see reform in current business models. Regardless of where you fall on the organizational chart, Immelman's masterpiece can offer support, advice, and insights on living a better life and running a better company.

Review by Kate St.Amour of BookReview.com.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book for team building and dynamics, March 30, 2007

By	Eric Bergland - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great Boss Dead Boss is a great novel that follows a new fictional manager through his trials in trying to change an organization. Through the novel you are introduced to various concepts (call dimensions and attributes) and dynamics that make a strong team or organization. As the character works with the dysfunctional organization he struggles to identify and apply various concepts to get them back on track, bond as a team, and overcome the common challenges they face. This is a very good book if you are looking at ways to build a better team within as a group or company.